A Fistful of Dollars
| A Fistful of Dollars | |
|---|---|
Italian theatrical release poster | |
| Italian | Per un pugno di dollari |
| Directed by | Sergio Leone |
| Written by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Yojimbo 1961 Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa Ryūzō Kikushima |
| Produced by | Arrigo Colombo Giorgio Papi[1] |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Massimo Dallamano[1] |
| Edited by | Roberto Cinquini[1] |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone[1] |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 99 minutes[1] |
| Countries | |
| Budget | $200,000–225,000[3] |
| Box office | $19.9 million |
A Fistful of Dollars (Italian: Per un pugno di dollari, "For a Fistful of Dollars") is a 1964 spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood in his first leading role, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto and Joseph Egger.[4] The film, an international co-production between Italy, West Germany and Spain, was filmed on a low budget (reported to be US$200,000), and Eastwood was paid $15,000 for his role.[5]
Released in Italy in 1964 and in the United States in 1967, the film initiated the popularity of the spaghetti Western genre. It is considered a landmark in cinema and one of the greatest and most influential films of all time. It was followed by For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, both also starring Eastwood. Collectively, these three films became known as the Dollars Trilogy, or the Man with No Name Trilogy, after the United Artists publicity campaign referred to Eastwood's characters in all three films as the "Man with No Name". All three films were released in sequence in the United States in 1967, making Eastwood a national celebrity.[6]
The film has been identified as an unofficial remake of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo (1961), which resulted in a successful lawsuit by Toho, Yojimbo's production company.[7] Kurosawa wrote to Leone directly, saying, "Signor Leone, I have just had the chance to see your film. It is a very fine film, but it is my film. Since Japan is a signatory of the Berne Convention on the international copyright, you must pay me." He and Toho received 15 percent of the film's revenue. Kurosawa earned more money from this settlement than from Yojimbo.[8]
Few spaghetti Westerns had been released in the United States at the time, so many of the European cast and crew adopted American-sounding stage names. These included Leone ("Bob Robertson"), Gian Maria Volonté ("Johnny Wels") and the composer, Ennio Morricone ("Dan Savio"). A Fistful of Dollars was shot in Spain, mostly near Hoyo de Manzanares[9] close to Madrid, but also (like its two sequels) in the Tabernas Desert and in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, both in the Province of Almería.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Cite error: The named reference
Curti192was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "Per un pugno di dollari". Lumiere. European Audiovisual Observatory. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Budgetwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Variety film review; 18 November 1964, page 22.
- ^ "Ennio Morricone" by Jerry McCulley, essay in the 1995 CD "The Ennio Morricone Anthology", Rhino DRC2-1237
- ^ McGilligan, Patrick (2015). Clint: The Life and Legend (updated and revised). New York: OR Books. ISBN 978-1-939293-96-1.
- ^ Norman, Dalton (26 February 2023). "Every Movie Based On Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Film Club: Yojimbo (1961)".
- ^ Caldito, Angel (3 September 2008). "Los primeros decorados del Oeste en España, en Hoyo de Manzanares" (in Spanish). Historias Matritenses. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2014.